Ball dispensing attachment for pool tables



'ay 20, 1941. c 1 Y 2,242,392

BALL DISPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR POOL TABLES Filed July 8, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l 1 p az 'I-iii! May 20, 1941. c. L. GUY 2,242,392

a BALL DISPENSING ATTACHMENT'FOR POOL TABLES Filed July 8, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 2.0, 1941. c. L. GUY

BALL DI SPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR POOL TABLES 4 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed .July' 8, 1939 May 20, 1941. c. L. GUY

BALL DISPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR POOL TABLES Filed July 8, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 20, 1941 BALL DISPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR POOL TABLES.

Cecil L. Guy, Crystal Springs, Miss.

Application July 8, 1939, Serial No. 283,483

Claims.

This invention relates to the class of games and pertains particularly to improvements in mechanical pool tables.

The present invention has for its primary ob ject to provide a mechanical pool table attachment by means of which, through the medium of a coin controlled mechanism, prospective players may wait upon themselves to receive the play balls and cue ball and by means of which such players during the course of a game may be able to retrieve the cue ball in the event of a scratch and also retrieve a predetermined number of scratched balls for re-spotting.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character described in com nection with which there may be employed a cue ball of the same size as the play balls and wherein means is provided whereby a limited or predetermined number of scratches is permitted by the mechanism after which the same becomes locked and requires the insertion of another coin before a new game can be played or before the players may continue with the game in which they have removed from the apparatus the said predetermined number of scratched balls..

A further object is to provide in mechanical equipment of the character described for use in association with a pool or billiard table, a novel mechanism whereby the balls after passing through the table pockets to the collecting runways, will be received through theattachment into a receptacle where they will be retained until the beginning of another game, a certain of the number of the balls being, however, retained in a midway compartment from which they may be conveniently shifted into a moving receiver for removal from the apparatus to be replaced as scratch balls on the table, such moving receiver being controlled so that it may be opened only a predetermined number of times for removal of scratched balls.

Still another object is to provide in an apparatus of the character herein described, novel mechanism associated with a coin control release means by means of which the play balls may be obtained after the insertion of a coin, whereby the scratched ball return apparatus may be released simultaneously with the release of the play balls so that after play begins scratched balls may be retrieved, up to a predetermined number, for return to the table.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view in end elevation of a pool or billiard table showing the apparatus embodying the present invention mounted in the end thereof.

Fig. 2 is a view in top plan of the attachment per se, the elements of the mechanism being in positions assumed when the coin control slide is forced inwardly.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the apparatus taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Y Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the coupling between the coin controlled slide mechanism and an actuating link.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4, showing the stop means governing the number of times the scratched ball return mechanism may be operated.

Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating the connecting means between the ball release treadle and a counter.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral I generally designates a pool or billiard table ofconventional design and of the type wherein there are constructed runways leading from the several pockets to a common ball return chute 2, Fig. 3, by which the play balls are returned to a receiving pocket or receptacle at the underside of the table and at one end thereof. The table pockets and ball receiving runways leading to the chute 2 have not been illustrated as these are well known standard features of pool tables, the discharge end only of the main ball return chute being shown and in.- dicated by the numeral 2 for the purpose of showing how the balls are received by the attachment embodying the present invention.

In carrying out the present invention, the end of the pool table toward which the chute 2 is directed, is provided with a suitable opening 3 to receive the attachment, the sides of such opening being provided with guide ribs 4 for the purpose hereinafter described.

. The structure of the present invention comprises an elongated box unit having the vertical trieving mechanism, hereinafter described, is housed. Extending from the rear wall I forwardly therefrom between the partition wall 8 and the other side wall 5, is a forwardly and downwardly inclined bottom wall which is divided into a fixed rear-portion II and am oscillatable forward portion i 2 which constitutes a ball discharge gate. This discharge gate is. piv-' otally .supportedupon' a transverse rock bar I: which extends across the lower part of the structure as shown in Fig. 3, and to the rear edge of the 'treadle or gate l2-is a depending flange l4 which, when the gate is in normal position where the rear end .is raised with respect to the fixed bottom wall portion H, forms a barrier at the forward edge .of thewall portion ii to retain the play balls on this wall. The forward edge of this last-mentioned wall which includes the gate i 2 terminates short of the front wall 6 and adjacent -the auxiliary front wall l5 which extends transversely between the wall 8 and the wall 5 which is remote from the compartment Ill. The lower part of this auxiliary wall I5 is connected by a bottom IS with the lower edge of the front wall 6.

Suspended or otherwise suitably secured to the underside of the box or casing structure thus far described, is an elongated forwardly and downwardly inclining ball receiving tray I! which at its forward end projects under and beyond the front wall 6 and has an upwardly opening top bordered by a front wall l8, through which balls may be removed after being discharged into the tray from the gate l2, as hereinafter described.

Rearwardly of the vertical plane of the pivot 13 for the gate l2, there is a stop I! in the ball tray which limits the downward movement of the rear part of the gate l2, as shown in Fig. 3.

The partition wall 8 forms one side of a ball chute 20, theopposite side of the chute being defined by the wall 2|. This chute extends from the rear wall I forwardly through the top part of the box or casing .to the auxiliary wall 1 5, opening therethrough as shown in Fig. 5, onto a floor 22 which inclines downwardly laterally in the area between the walls 6 and i5 toward the side wall 5 remote from the compartment l0. At the lower end of this floor 22, the auxiliary wall I! has a door or opening 23 therethrough as shown 111F18- 5, which discharges into a rearwardly and downwardly inclin'edball chute 24 which at its rear end discharges through the area 25 onto a pad 26 which is supported upon the top of the bottom wall portion H, as shown in Fig. 3. As previously stated, the chute 20 inclines downwardly toward the'front of the mechanism, the floor 22 inclines toward the side of the mechanism to carry the balls from the lower end of the chute 20 to the inlet end of the chute 24, and the latter chute inclines downwardly toward the rear of the mechanism to discharge the balls into the rear lower of the structure where they will be retained leased by the coin controlled mechanism hereinafter described.

The collector chute 2 of the table structure discharges into the forwardly inclined chute 20 at the rear end of the latter, as shown in Fig. 3.

The space above the floor 22 constitutes a trap compartment for a number of balls in their passage from the chute 20 to the chute 24 and oscillataolyvmounted ,upon the front side of the auxiliary wall II, on the pin 21 is a .trip bar 28, one end of which extends across the door opening 23 leading to the chute 24 while the other end is flattened as indicated at 29, and normally lies substantially in the plane of the adjacent end of the bottom of the chute 20 so that as play balls pass from the chute into the trap compartment they will drop onto the flattened end 2! of the trip bar and cause the opposite end to raise so that ifany balls have previously been trapped in the compartment, one thereof will be permitted to-roll into the chute 24. At the inner end of the ball trap compartment, the partition wall 8 is provided with a transfer opening 30 through which a ball or balls may be shifted from the trap compartment into the chamber ill for the purpose hereinafter described. This shifting of the balls may be accomplished by the extension of the fingers or a suitable object through the .horizontal slot 3i which is formed in the front wall 6 above the floor 22, as is clearly shown in and which is of the form commonly used in vending machines and includes a reciprocable bar 25 which extends rearwardly through the auxiliary wall I5 into the area above the ball gate i2. No

detailed illustration or descriptionis given of the coin control mechanism 34 as this is of standard construction and well known in the art. The

mechanism 34 is arranged, however, to discharge the coin inserted therein, after the bar 35 is end of this rocker arm being secured to one side by the raised flange u of the gate [2 until re 5 of the ball discharge gate l2 adjacent the rear end of the same. as shown in Fig. 3. This rocker arm receives movement from the coin control mechanism bar 35 as the latter is reciprocated so that when this bar is forced inwardly, the gate l2 will be forced .to swing down at its rear end to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 to allow balls to. roll forwardly thereonto and when the bar 3! is pulled forwardly again, the arm 40 will swing up rocking the gate on the pivot l3 and raising the rear end and the wall l4 thereof.

Oscillatably mounted on the rear side of the auxiliary wall II is a rock shaft. 4| which at one end has the rearwardly and downwardly extending arm 42 which is disposed in the path of movement of the rear end of the bar 35 while at'its other end it carries a forwardly extending tripfinger 43 which extends through the forward or discharge end of the chute to lie across the end of the trip bar 28. When the bar of the coin control mechanism is forced rearwardly, it will strike the arm 42 of the rock shaft and oscillate the shaft so as to swing the trip arm 43 down against the trip bar and thus rock the latter so as to lift that end which extends across the opening 23 to permit balls to pass through the opening into the chute 24.

The partition wall 8 has formed therethrough a slot 44 which is in line transversely of the casing with the inner end of the link 38 and secured to the partition wall below this slot is a pivot block 45 which has pivotally attached thereto by the vertical pivot pin 46, Figs. 2-6, the horizontally oscillatable rock arm 41. One end of this arm extends to a position in the path of movement of a vertical pin 48 which is carried by the upturned end portion 39 of the rocker 40 while the other end of the arm 41 extends into the chamber to, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The front wall 6 is provided with an opening 49 which leads into the chamber I 8 and through this opening there extends the drawer 50 which, as shown in Fig. 5, base. low side adjacent the opening 38 so that it may receive balls which are forced through this opening from the area in which the trip bar 28 is housed. This drawer 5Il constitutes a means for removing scratched balls from the mechanism and its forward end is provided with a knob 5| by means of which it may be conveniently drawn to open position.

The rear or inner end of the drawer 50 is connected to an end of a bar 52, the other end of the bar passing through the guide slot 53 in the rear wall 1 of the mechanism. Secured to this rear wall above the bar 52 is a movement limiting bracket finger 54 which is directed downwardly toward the bar and which is engaged by a stop 55 which is carried by the bar, when the bar is drawn outwardly.

In the chamber I8 beneath the bar 52 there is rotatably supported upon a fixed pivot pin 56, a toothed wheel or ratchet wheel 51. This ratchet wheel carries adjacent its periphery a stop pin 58 to which is attached an end of a coil spring 59, the other end of the spring being fixed to the non-rotating pivot pin 56.

The stop pin 58 extends toward the partition wall 8 and this wall carries, in the path of rotary movement of the pin 58, a fixed stop pin 60.

The bar 52 has connected therewith one end of a spring 6|, the other end of the spring being secured to the back wall 1 and this spring normally pulls the bar inwardly to pull the drawer 50 to closed position. Forwardly of the'point where the spring 5| connects with the bar 52, there is pivotally attached to the bar the downwardly and forwardly hanging dog 62, the lower end of which is in the plane of the ratchet 51 so that it will engage a tooth of the ratchet when it is moved forwardly by the forward shifting of the bar 52 to which it is connected. A stop member 63 which is carried on the bar 52, is engaged by the upper end of the dog 62 and holds it in the proper forwardly directed position but permits the dog to swing upwardly so that its lower end will ride back over the teeth of the ratchet wheel upon return movement of the bar 52.

Pivotally attached to the lower part of the wall 8, as indicated at 64, is an upwardly extending rock arm 65 which carries a latching finger 66. The arm 65 has connected to its upper end one end of a contractile spring 61, the other end of this spring being attached to the wall 8 rearwardly of the arm so as to constantly'pull the arm in a direction to draw the latching finger 66 into engagement with the toothed edge of the ratchet 51. The latching finger will thus be normally urged into a position where it will engage over the top of a tooth of the ratchet wheel so as to maintain this wheel against the tumlng movement which it has constantly urged onto it by the coil spring 59.

The latching finger carrying arm 65 is connected at its upper end by the pull link 68 with the end of the rock arm 41 which extends through the aperture 44 into the chamber III, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus the spring 61 also acts constantly to oscillate the arm 41 in a direction to move the end adjacent the upstanding finger 48 toward the front of the mechanism. In other words, the end of the arm 41 which lies adjacent the finger 48 normally maintains contact with this finger in both the forward and backward movements which it has imparted to it by the bar 35 of the coin control mechanism.

In order that record may be kept of the number of times a game has been played on the pool table with which the present mechanism is connected, there is provided a counter 69 of standard form having an arm 10 which, when given one down movement, operates the mechanism to effect the counting operation of the same. This counter is mounted in a suitable opening H in the auxiliary wall I5, where its face may be seen when the coin receptacle 32 is withdrawn. The arm 10 of the counter extends rearwardly and is connected by a link 12 with the forward portion of the ball release gate I2, as shown in Fig. 3, so that each time this gate is oscillated to discharge a group of play balls, the counter will be operatedto indicate one game.

In the operation of the present mechanism, after the same has been placed in position in the end of a pool table, as shown in Fig. l, where the rear end of the ball chute 20 will be located beneath the discharge end of the collector chute 2 which forms a part of the table structure, release of the play balls from within the box where they are retained on the bottom II against the raised fiange I4 of the gate I2, is accomplished by the insertion of a suitable coin in the mechanism 34. When the coin is inserted and the bar 35 is forced inwardly, the link 38 will move rearwardly and cause the gate I2 to oscillate to a position where .it will be in the plane of the bottom portion II.

other end of the trip bar and permit any balls which are lying on the floor 22 to roll through the opening 23 and down the chute 24 onto the floor II and forwardly onto the gate.

There will also be accomplished with this actuation of the gate and of the trip bar 28, the release of the ratchet wheel 51, if the mechanism has been previously played and the spring 59 is under tension. This release of the ratchet wheel 51 is accomplished through the oscillation of the arm 41 by the upstanding bar 48, effecting the rearward movement of the link 68 and the oscillation of the rock arm 65 to a position where the latch finger 66 is disengaged from a tooth of the tained in the trip area by the bar 28.

ratchet wheel, thus permitting the wheel to be scratches permitted in any one game can be controlled by means of the scratch ball return mechanism in the chamber I so that after a player has had a number of scratched balls, further playing of the game will be stopped through the locking of the mechanism, that is, no more controlled by the number of teeth given the 1 ratchet wheel 51. Thus if ten teeth are given the ratchet wheel, this will permit ten scratched balls to be returned after which the mechanism will be locked and no more balls can be obtained during that game.

After the foregoing operations have taken place as a result of forcing the coin controlled bar 35 inwardly, the bar is drawn out to its former position and this will rock the gate l2 so that the forward end will drop down and will permit all of the play balls to be discharged therefrom'into the ball tray I! from which they may then be removed and placed on the table for play.

In the playing of the game, as balls are knocked into the pockets of the table, they will return to the chute and roll into the ball trapping area at the front end of the mechanism,

passing over the trip end of the trip bar 28. The first few balls, approximately three, will be re- These balls are accessible for return to the table in the event of a scratch and if it becomes necessary to return a ball, this can be accomplished by inscratched balls can be returned and, therefore, as soon as the remaining balls have been played off of the table into the pockets, the game will be finished. i

What is-claimed is:

1. In a play ball receiving and delivering device of the character set forth, including 9. casing, a ball receiving runway within the casing, a lower end discharging into a ball collecting area in the lower part of the casing, a ball receiving tray disposed beneath the casing and having an open side accessible from the exterior of the casing for the removal of balls; a gate normally preventing the escape of balls from said collecting area into said tray, means intermediate the ends of said runway forming a ball trap for a predetermined number of balls, a reciprocable scratched ball drawer arranged adjacent said ball trapping means, mechanism controlling the opening of said drawer whereby the latter may be manually opened a predetermined number of times, means for shifting a ball from said serting a finger into the opening 3| and shifting a ball through the window into the drawer 50. By pulling the drawer 50 outwardly, the ball may then be gotten back to be placed on the table. This'outward movement of the drawer 50 will shift the dog 62 forwardly and turn the ratchet wheel 51 one point against the tension of the spring 59. The wheel will be held in this position by the latching finger 66. As the next balls roll from the table pockets into the chute 20 and pass into the ball trap area, they will pass over the flattened end 29 of the trip bar and raise the other end, thus permitting a ball to move into the chute 24 each time a ball enters the trap area. If the ratchet wheel 51 is provided with ten or eleven teeth themas previously stated, this number of scratched balls may be returned byway of the drawer 50. a Each time a scratched ball is returned, the wheel 51 will be in the coin control mechanism and the latter actuated as previously described so as to oscillate the arm 65 to release the ratchet wheel and allow the same to return, under the action of the spring 59, to its former orre-set position.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that with the mechanism herein set forth, itis not necessary for the operator of, a pool table or a number of pool tables to watch the players at the several tables to collect a fee for each game played as the players can pay the necessary fee and obtain the balls forplaying for themselves. Also it will be seen that with the mechanism herein described, the number of ball trap into said drawer, and mechanism operable from the outside of the casing facilitating the opening of said gate for the discharge of balls from the receivingarea into the tray, the discharge of balls from the ball trap into the ball receiving area, and the re-setting of said scratched ball drawer-controlling mechanism.

2. In a ball receiving and delivering mechanism of the character set forth including a ball receiver, a runway leading to said receiver, means intermediate the ends of said runway fortrapping a predetermined number of balls, a ball receiving tray, and gate means controlling the passage of balls from said receiving area into said tray; mechanism facilitating the removal of a predetermined number of scratched balls from said trapping means, comprising a rectilinearly shiftable ball receiving drawer operable from the exterior of the table structure, means facilitating the transfer of a single ball from said trap means into said drawer, a toothed wheel, means connected with and reciprocated bythe drawer simultaneously actuate said gate for the discharge of balls from the ball receiving means into the tray and release said wheel for its return by said spring to a predetermined set position.

3. In a ball collecting and delivery mechanism of the character set forth including a casing having a ball collector, a shiftable gate facilitating the discharge of balls from the collector to the outside of the casing, a coin controlled mechanism including a slide. connected with and adapted to actuate the gate, said coin controlled mechanism including a reciprocable slide and means for withholding a number of balls from said collector; a reciprocable single ball capacity drawer in the casing, means for shifting balls from said withholdingmeans into the drawer from which they may be removed when the drawer has been shiftedto one position with relever having operative connection with said latch means, and a finger carried by said coin mechanism slide, said finger operating upon movement of the slide in a direction to shift the gate for the discharge of balls from the collector, to engage and oscillate said lever to effect the release of the latch and the reverse movement of the wheel under the action of the resilient means.

4. In a ball collecting and delivering mechanism of the character set forth, including a casing having a ball collecting chamber and a ball receptacle accessible from outside the casing, a ball receiving runway leading to said chamber, said runway including a ball withholding area intermediate its ends and an entrance opening and an exit opening for said area, a lever pivotally supported intermediate its ends within said area and having an end disposed across the inlet opening and having its other end disposed across the outlet opening, said lever functioning to maintain a predetermined number of balls within the area and being oscillated by a ball passing through the inlet opening to have its other end lifted to a position to permit a ball to pass through the outlet opening, said chamber having a portion of the floor thereof pivotally supported and normally oscillated out of the plane of the other portion of the floor to form a gate between the chamber and the receptacle, a coin control means including a slide, a coupling between said slide and said pivoted floor portion, a shaft oscillatably supported within the casing and having one end extending transversely of the first-mentioned end of said lever and having a portion of its other end extending downwardly into the chamber, and said coin control mechanism slide being arranged to engage the said other end of said shaft upon movement of the slide inwardly for the oscillation of said floor portion into the plane ofthe said other portion to oscillate the shaft in a direction to cause the first-mentioned end thereof to depress the lever to permit balls to pass out of said area into the chamber.

5. In a ball collecting and delivery mechanism of the character set forth, including a casing having a ball collecting chamber and a ball runway leading to the chamber and provided intermediate its ends with a ball withholding area having an inlet and an outlet opening, and a bail receiving receptacle beneath the chamber; said chamber having a downwardly sloping floor, said floor having a fixed portion and a treadle portion mounted for oscillation on a horizontal axis, a coin control mechanism including a 'slide having an in position and an out position, an operative coupling between the slide and the treadle, the treadle being oscillated when the slide is in the out position for discharge of ball members from its surface into the receptacle, a plate carried by the treadle and disposed to extend above the fixed part of the chamber floor when the treadle is in the discharge position, means within the withholding area operating by and upon the entrance of a ball through the inlet opening to discharge a ball from the outlet opening into said chamber, a ball receiving drawer supported in the casing for reciprocal movement and having an in and an out position, a counter-mechanism operatively coupled with said ball receiving drawer for limiting the number of movements of said drawer to the out position, means whereby a ball may be shifted from said withholding area into the drawer when the latter is in its in position, a resetting lever supported for oscillation on a vertical axis and operatively coupled with the counting mechanism, a finger carried by said treadle and operating to engage said lever to effect the re-setting of the counting mechanism upon movement of the slide to its in position, the movement of the slide to the in position oscillating the treadle to a position in the plane of the fixed portion of the chamber floor, and means actuated by the slide upon movement to its in position for effecting the release of balls from the withdrawal area into the chamber.

CECE L. GUY. 

